Safety hook latch

ABSTRACT

A safety hook latch with a hook member mounted on a gate positionable between spaced parallel plates mounted on a gate post for a latched state with a safety latch lock pin inserted through the spaced parallel plates maintaining the hook member in a latch captured state. The safety latch lock pin is suspended by a mounting chain from the upper plate mounted on the gate post with the mounting chain located to present a positive reminder by being an obstacle to positioning of the hook member to the latched state to insure safety latch lock insertion of the pin.

mite Sttes atent Loclmer [54] SAFETY HOOK LATCH [72] Inventor: Clarence J. Lochner, R.R. 1, Box 18,

Peosta, Iowa 52068 [22] Filed: Dec. 3, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 94,840

[52] US. Cl. ....292/l06, 292/DIG. 13 [51] Int. Cl. ..E05c 19/10 [58] Field of Search ..292/95, 106, DIG. 13, 96, 104,

OTHER PUBLICATIONS Popular Mechanics- December 1954, page 217 Cattleproof Gate Latch Primary Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe Attorney-Warren H. Kintzinger [5 7] ABSTRACT A safety hook latch with a hook member mounted on a gate positionable between spaced parallel plates mounted on a gate post for a latched state with a safety latch lock pin inserted through the spaced parallel plates maintaining the hook member in a latch captured state. The safety latch lock pin is suspended by a mounting chain from the upper plate mounted on the gate post with the mounting chain located to present a positive reminder by being an obstacle to positioning of the hook member to the latched state to insure safety latch lock insertion of the pin.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SAFETY HOOK LATCH This invention relates in general to gate and barn door type latches, and in particular, to a safety hook latch easily operated and yet capable of being quite safety latch locked from accidental opening by farm animals.

Many gate and barn door closure locking devices are merely various forms of gate hooks that are subject to being, from time to time, accidentally unhooked by live stock jostling gates or doors using such hooks. Further, latches heretofore employed having a lock mechanism therewith have generally been quite complex and expensive. Still further, there generally has been no assurance that the locks employed with gate hooks and barn door closure maintaining devices are actuated with as a result the gate or door still being subjected to occasional undesired opening by farm animals. Some of these closure maintaining latch devices have no play or at least insufficient play to minimize stress and strain imposed when animals jostle a gate or barn door.

It is therefore, a principle object of this invention to provide a relatively inexpensive reliable safety hook latch that substantially eliminates accidental opening by jostling animals.

A further object is to provide such a safety hook latch with generous space play tolerances permitting gate or barn door limited give with latch structure stress lessened and not like cattle coming up short against a non-flexing structure.

A further object is to provide such a safety hook latch where insertion of a safety lock for the latch is reliably a manual reflex action.

Features of the invention useful in accomplishing the above I objects include, in a safety hook latch, a latch hook member mounted with a considerable degree of articulation through ample play tolerances on a gate or sliding door and spaced parallel plates mounted on a gate post or door frame. The latch member is readily positionable, with the gate or door in the closed state, between the spaced parallel plates in assuming a latched state position and then a safety latch lock pin is inserted through the spaced parallel plates (or latch extensions) to effectively maintain the latch hook in a latch captured state. The safety latch lock pin is so suspended in the unlocked state that whenever the latch hook member is being inserted between spaced parallel plates to the latched state position the lock pin must be manually grasped and raised. This is a very positive reminder and makes proper latch locking insertion of the locking pin practically a reflex action.

A specific embodiment representing what is presently regarded as the best mode of carrying out the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 represents a partial top view showing applicant's safety hook latch latching a gate to a gate post;

FIG. 2, a partial front elevation view of the safety hook latch latching the gate to the gate post as in FIG. 1 with, however, a safety lock pin not inserted in place;

FIG. 3, a side view of a hook mounting U" member that is mounted on the gate; and

FIG. 4, a side view of an alternate hook mounting U member that has a sloped upper portion helping the latch hook member assume the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 when placed in the latched state.

Referring to the drawing:

The safety hook latch assembly 10, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a hook mounted with a high degree of free articulating relative movement by ring mount end member 12 welded in place as part of the hook 11. A mounting U" member 13 that holds ring mount member 12 and thereby mounts the hook 11 extends outwardly from a base plate 14 mounted on a gate 15, only a portion shown, by bolts or screw assemblies 16 through openings 17 in the base plate 14 and material of the gate 15. In any event the gate may be swung into the position shown with hook I l in position for latching, as is the case in FIGS. 1 and 2, in close adjacency to gate post 18 from which fencing 19 extends. Obviously, gate 15 could be instead a slide mounted barn door and post 18 part of barn door frammg.

Outwardly extended upper latch extension 20 and lower latch extension 21 have right angle mounting flanges 22 and 23, respectively, that are mounted by screws 24, bolts or rivets, through flange openings provided therefore into gate post 18. The latch units are mounted with the upper and lower latch extensions 20 and 21 in, generally, spaced parallel relation with spacing adequate for easy placement of hook I] in latched position therebetween. Please note that the upper and lower latch extensions 20 and 21 may be parts of latch units substantially duplicates of each other as shown, or upper and lower portions of one member, with however, in either form an opening 25, provided in the upper latch extension 20, for receiving a pin retaining chain 26 end mount clasp 27 for mounting latch safety locking L" pin 28. When the latch book 11 is inserted into latched position between extensions 20 and 21 it may be safety locked in place by insertion of the downward depending latch locking leg 29 of L" pin 28 through openings 30 and 31 of upper and lower latch extensions 20 and 21. Thus, the latch hook 11 is secured in the latched state behind latch locking leg 29 of L" pin 28, and this is with the downward extended hook end extension 32 preventing endwise withdrawal of the latch hook I] from the latched state between the latch extensions 20 and 21. Please note that the opening 25 is located closely adjacent the outer edge of the upper latch extension 20 in order that the chain 26 suspended from mount clasp 27 to a pin 33 connection to L" pin 28 is in a position such as to be in the way as latch hook 11 is being placed in latched position between the latch extensions 20 and 21. Having to lift the L pin 28 in order to get the pin retaining chain 26 out of the way for latch hook ll positioning between latch extensions 20 and 21 is an excellent reminder to then insert L pin 28 latch locking leg 29 in place in extension openings 30 and 31 and with the L" pin 28 in hand it becomes practically a reflex action.

Referring to FIG. 3 the mounting U" member 13 extending from base plate 14 holds ring mount member 12 and hook I] quite well with the hook 11 generally in the orientation, when latched, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, it should be realized that with farm animals jostling the gate 15 (or barn door) that with generous space play tolerances advantageously provided through the latch structure stress and strain transmitted to and through the latch structure is lessened and minimized with cattle and the like not coming up short against a non-flexing structure. With this action there are times when the hook 11 would be turned and the hook end extension 32 be horizontal, rather than depending, and extending outwardly in which state it could come into restrained engagement with latch locking leg 29 of "1. pin 28 to prevent endwise withdrawal of the hook 11 from the latched state. An alternate U member 34, that may be used in place of U member 13, mounted on a base plate 35 for holding ring mount member 12 and mounting hook 11 on gate 15 is shown in FIG. 4. The U member 34 has a sloped upper leg 36 that tends to make the member 12 slide theredown to the outer portion of the U" member 34 and thereby help the hook l1 assume the position with the hook end extension 32 in the depending state for the latched position of FIGS. 1 and 2.

Whereas this invention is herein illustrated and described with respect to a specific embodiment hereof, it should be realized that various changes may be made without departing from the essential contributions to the art made by the teachings hereof.

I claim:

1. In a latching structure for latching a moveable closure member to a fixed member: a latch hook having a longitudinally extended shank with mounting means fastened to one of said members at a mount end of said latch hook, and a hook projection extended at an angle to said hook shank; spaced upper and lower latch elements mounted on the other one of said members not mounting said latch hook; said upper and lower latch elements being spaced for easy placement of said hook shank therebetween for latching; a latch lock element for enclosing said hook shank in a safety latch hook captured state; and retaining means of said upper and lower latch elements receiving and holding said latch lock element in the safety latch hook captured state.

2. The latching structure of claim 1, wherein said spaced upper and lower latch elements are spaced upper and lower plates mounted to project outwardly from one of said members; said spaced upper and lower plates having aligned openings; and said latch lock element being a pin receivable in said aligned openings for capturing said hook shank between said upper and lower plates in the safety latch hook captured state.

3. The latching structure of claim 2, wherein suspension means suspends said pin from said upper plate when the pin is not inserted in said aligned openings.

4. The latching structure of claim 3, wherein said suspension means is a mounting chain interconnecting said upper plate and the pin; and said mounting chain being positioned as an obstacle to insertion of the hook shank to between said upper and lower plates.

5. The latching structure of claim 3, wherein said pin is an L shaped pin with a pin insertion leg, and a pin insertion stop leg that rests on the top of said upper plate when said pin insertion leg is inserted in place extending through said aligned openings of said spaced upper and lower plates; and with said suspension means connected to said pin insertion stop leg.

6. The latching structure of claim 2, wherein said hook projection extended at an angle to said hook shank is substantially a right angle degree projection; and with said hook projection of sufficient length in the structural confinement of the latching structure in the safety latch hook captured state to prevent endwise withdrawal of said latch hook from between said upper and lower plates.

7. The latching structure of claim 6, wherein the fastening of said latch hook to one of said members is an interconnection with ample play tolerances and a great range of articulation with, a hook shank mount end ring eye; a mounting U" shaped member extended through said ring eye end of said latch hook; and with said U" shaped member mounted on said moveable enclosure member.

8. The latching structure of claim 7, wherein said moveable enclosure member is a gate; and said fixed member is a gate post in a fence.

9. The latching structure of claim 7, wherein said shaped member has a steeply sloped upper U" arm for gravity biasing of the latch hook to a desired orientation when placed in the hook latched state between said spaced upper and lower plates.

10. The latching structure of claim 7, wherein said latch hook is of generous overlength for ease of insertion to the latched state between said upper and lower plates and for play allowance; and with said spaced upper and lower plates being substantially parallel plates of flange members as mounted on said fixed member. 

1. In a latching structure for latching a moveable closure member to a fixed member: a latch hook having a longitudinally extended shank with mounting means fastened to one of said members at a mount end of said latch hook, and a hook projection extended at an angle to said hook shank; spaced upper and lower latch elements mounted on the other one of said members not mounting said latch hook; said upper and lower latch elements being spaced for easy placement of said hook shank therebetween for latching; a latch lock element for enclosing said hook shank in a safety latch hook captured state; and retaining means of said upper and lower latch elements receiving and holding said latch lock element in the safety latch hook captured state.
 2. The latching structure of claim 1, wherein said spaced upper and lower latch elements are spaced upper and lower plates mounted to project outwardly from one of said members; said spaced upper and lower plates having aligned openings; and said latch lock element being a pin receivable in said aligned openings for capturing said hook shank between said upper and lower plates in the safety latch hook captured state.
 3. The latching structure of claim 2, wherein suspension means suspends said pin from said upper plate when the pin is not inserted in said aligned openings.
 4. The latching structure of claim 3, wherein said suspension means is a mounting chain interconnecting said upper plate and the pin; and said mounting chain being positioned as an obstacle to insertion of the hook shank to between said upper and lower plates.
 5. The latching structure of claim 3, wherein said pin is an ''''L'''' shaped pin with a pin insertion leg, and a pin insertion stop leg that rests on the top of said upper plate when said pin insertion leg is inserted in place extending through said aligned openings of said spaced upper and lower plates; and with said suspension means connected to said pin insertion stop leg.
 6. The latching structure of claim 2, wherein said hook projection extended at an angle to said hook shank is substantially a right angle degree projection; and with said hook projection of sufficient length in the structural confinement of the latching structure in the safety latch hook captured state to prevent endwise withdrawal of said latch hook from between said upper and lower plates.
 7. The latching structure of claim 6, wherein the fastening of said latch hook to one of said members is an interconnection with ample play tolerances and a great range of articulation with, a hook shank mount end ring eye; a mounting ''''U'''' shaped member extended through said ring eye end of said latch hook; and with said ''''U'''' shaped member mounted on said moveable enclosure member.
 8. The latching structure of claim 7, wherein said moveable enclosure member is a gate; and said fixed member is a gate post in a fence.
 9. The latching structure of claim 7, wherein saiD ''''U'''' shaped member has a steeply sloped upper ''''U'''' arm for gravity biasing of the latch hook to a desired orientation when placed in the hook latched state between said spaced upper and lower plates.
 10. The latching structure of claim 7, wherein said latch hook is of generous overlength for ease of insertion to the latched state between said upper and lower plates and for play allowance; and with said spaced upper and lower plates being substantially parallel plates of flange members as mounted on said fixed member. 